Butterfly valves



P 1957 J. 5. KESSLER BUTTERFLY VALVES Filed Nov. 1 9

NVENTOR. X1442,

A770EA/EQ5.

United States BUTTERFLY VALVES Application November 19, 1952, Serial No. 321,390

2 Claims. (Cl. 251-292) This invention relates to improvements in butterfly valves, and more specifically to a butterfly type of shut-off valve.

Heretofore, whenever a shut-off valve was needed in a piping system, such valves as plug valves, gate valves or poppet valves were used because it was believed that a satisfactory seal could only be effected by these types of valves. Butterfly type valves have found wide application in the control of fluid flow, but heretofore there have been no satisfactory shut-off type butterfly valves available.

With the above in mind it is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide an improved butterfly valve which can maintain a satisfactory seal under substantially higher pressures than plug type valves of comparable size.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shut-otf valve of the class described which is relatively simple in construction and which is substantially cheaper to manufacture than other types of valves of comparable size.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shut-oif valve of the class described which requires no seat or shoulder in the tubular body in which it is mounted, said valve being capable of quick disassembly and easy cleaning.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved butterfly valve having a grooved periphery in which a resilient sealing ring is positioned for effecting a sealing engagement with the surrounding sidewall of the valve body when the valve is in closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shut-off valve which, when completely closed, is not easily opened by the pressure of fluid thereagainst usually encountered, and which when not completely closed is urged toward open position by saidfluid pressure.

'A further specific object of the invention is to provide an improved valve of the class described wherein the butterfly is elliptical in shape, having opposite faces which are offset from each other along a common longitudinal axis.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide an improved valve of the class described wherein the axis of rotation of the butterfly is normal to but offset laterally from the axis of the valve body and is normal to the longitudinal axis of the butterfly and offset laterally from the transverse axis of said butterfly.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved valve of the class described which is strong and durable and which is well adapted for use in sanitary piping systems and food handling equipment.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved butterfly type shut-off valve and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein is shown one complete embodiatent merit of the preferred form of the invention, and wherein like characters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved shutotf valve in open position, parts being broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, only showing the valve in its closed or shut-01f position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken approximately along the line 33 of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken approximately along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of one elliptical face of the butterfly valve member with the stem removed therefrom, as viewed along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the opposite elliptical face of the butterfly valve member, as viewed along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates a tubular cylindrical valve body which may be provided at its opposite end portions with external threading 11. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the

valve body 10 is formed with a tubular bearing boss 12' which projects outwardly substantially normal to the axis of the body 10 and is offset laterally from said axis.

Positioned within the valve body 10 is a butterfly type valve member 13 which is preferably elliptical in shape as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The valve member 13, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is of parallelogram form in crosssection in the plane normal thereto along the longitudinal or major axis of said valve member. As shownin Fig. 3, the valve member 13 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in the plane normal thereto along the transverse or minor axis. Fig. 3 also shows that the width of the valve member along its transverse axis is less than the inner diameter of the valve body 10.

The valve member has an annular edge surface 14 which lies in a cylindrical plane Whose axis passes through the center of said valve member and which also 0 lies in the plane normal to said member along the major axis thereof, said axis being disposed at an angle to said valve member. Figs. 2 and 4 show that when the valve member 13 is in closed position the edge surface 14 lies in a cylindrical plane spaced inwardly from and substantially coaxial with the inner surface of the valve body 10.

The annular edge surface 14 of the valve member 13 is formed with an annular groove 15 (Fig. 3) in which is positioned a resilient sealing ring 16 preferably of circular cross-sectional shape. The ring 16 is of such size that when the valve member 13 is in the position of Figs. 2 and 4, said ring forms a seal between said valve member and the inner wall of the valve body 10 around the entire periphery of the valve member.

The valve member 13 is formed on one face 17 with a boss 18 having a pair of converging side walls 19 normal to the face 17, and a wall 20'spaced from and .parallel with the face 18. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the boss 18 is substantially parallel with the transverse or minor axis of the valve member 13 and is offset therefrom.

A cylindrical stem 21 is rotatably mounted in the bearing boss 12 and has its inner end projecting into the valve body'10. The inner end of stem 21 is cutaway along one side, as at 22, and is cut away to a lesser extent along its opposite side, as at 23, to give the end of the stern a thickness substantially equal to the distance between the wall 20 and the face 17 of the valve member 13. The inner end of stem 21 is also formed with a pair of diverging faces 24 (Figs. 2 and 3), having the same angular and spacial relationship as the inner surfaces of walls 19 of boss 18. The inner end of stem 12 is removably positioned in the boss 18, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and is snugly received therein.

The stem 21 is formed with an annular groove 25 Fig. 3) within the bearing boss 1255215 resilient sealing rmg 26 is positioned in the groove 25 and forms a seal betweenthe stem and the inner surface of said bearing boss. The stem 21 is alsoformed withlan annular gro ove 27 outwardly of the groove 25. The bearing boss 12 is formed .with apair of spaced, diametrically. opposite slots 2 8 -therethrough (Figs. 3' and 4) which register with the annular groove 27 in the stem. A generally U-shaped retaining clip 29 is. removably positioned in the slots 28 and groove 27 to prevent axial, movement of the stem 21 while permitting rotation thereof. 7 f

In the use of the improved valve, the latter is preferably connected into a piping systeminisuch a'mannerithat the flow of fluid will be in the direction indicated 'by thearrows infigs land 2. Sincethe valve member'ISisof the unbalancedgtype, the pressureof 'fiuid thereagainst urges ,said valve member toward ithefullopen position shown in-,Fi g. 1 whenever the valve is partially open. When, however, the. valve. member 13 is .rotated to the completely closed position of Fig. 2 .wheie the sealing. ring 16 seals ofi the valve body'I0 around its entire periphery, fluid pressure from the direction indicated does'not easily open the valve. In actual practice the improved valve maintains a good seal in shut-ofi position'under pressures up to 200 pounds, whereas the maximum pressure at which a sanitary plug valve of comparable sizecanmaintain a good seal is 30 pounds. The .cost of the improved valve issubstantially less than that of a sanitary plug valve of comparable size.

The improved valVecan-be quickly disassembled for cleaning by simply removing the retaining clip 29 and withdrawing thestem 21 throughthe bearing boss 12, thuspermitting the valve member 13 to be liftediout of the valve bod'y'10. Sinceno'shoulders or .valve seatsare required in the improved valve, thevalve body 10 has-a smooth cylindrical inner wall which is readily cleaned. The improved valve has wide aplication as a shut-off valve and is particularly well adaptedfor use in sanitary piping systems. '7 Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of-the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated, as may come within the scope of the claims.

V What-I claimis: V n

1. In a valve having a tubular valve body with a straight cylindrical internal bore portion, a tubular boss projecting from said bo dy in a direction transversely of the axis of said bore and eccentrically of said axis, saidboss having one end open at the exterior and having an inner end opening providing aflush communication with the cylindrical bore, a butterfly type valve member movably'n ounted in'said cylindrical Banana having a'pe'ripheral groove, alresilient sealing ring in said groove, said valve-being movable'betw een an "been" postion and a closed position at an oblique angle with respectjtothe axis of'said bore of the 'valve body where further movementis prevented by engagement of the sealing ring with the bore proper and where the sealing ring sealin gly engages said bore at one side of the inner end opening of the boss around its entire periphery, when the valve is in open position said sealing ring engaging said bore at one sde of the inner end opening of the boss at diametrically opposed portions only, an elongated sleeve ofisetfrom the center of 'the valve member and projecting from'one face thereof and substantially parallel to said face, the interior of said sleeve bein'gin alignment with said boss of'the valve body,

a valve stem rotatably mounted in the boss of the valve body and having one end projecting externally of the boss and its opposite end detachably engaged in said sleeve and extending in a plane parallel to the face of the valve member to serve as a common support and operating member, said engagement of the valve stem and the engagement of the valve member with the interior of the bore constituting the sole support for said valve member, and said valve member being pivotal in the bore on said diametrically opposed portions when the stem is rotated.

2. In a valve having a tubular valve body with a straight cylindrical internal bore portion, a tubular boss projecting from said body in a direction transversely of the axis of said bore and eccentrically of said axis, said boss having one end open at the exterior and having an inner end opening providing a flush, communication with the cylindrical bore, a butterfly type valve member movably mounted in said cylindrical bore and formed with a peripheral groove, aresilient sealing ring in said groove and'having infall positionsofoperation an elliptical external sealing periphery with 'a short di amet'ric dimension and a long diametric dimension fat ri ht angles to said short dimension, said valve. member .being movable between an open position anda closed positionat an oblique angle with respect to the axis of said bore of the valve body where further movement is prevented by engagement with the bore proper and where saidsealing ring sealingly. engages said bore at onefside, of the inner .end opening of the boss around the entire peripheryof said ring, when the valve is in open positionsaid sealingfring engaging said bore at one side of the inner end opening of the boss at the diametrically opposed portions of said short dimension only, loop means offset ffom the centerof the valve member and projecting fromione face-thereof; the interior of said loop means being in said boss of the valve body, a valve stem rotatably mounted in the boss of the valve .body and having one end projecting externally offthe boss and its opposite end detachably engaged in said loop means and extending in a plane parallelto the face of the valve member to serve as a common support and operating member, said engagement of the valve stem and the engagement of thesealing ring with the interior of the bore constitutingthe sole support for said valve member, and, said valve :memberbeing .pivotable in the boreon said diametrically oppose'd sealing ring portions 7 of the short dimension of, the valve member whenthe stem is rotated.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 160,496 Woodrufi Mar. 2,1875 1,120,975 Roderick Dec. 15,1914 1,188,462 McCo'rmacli IQ- June 27,1916 1,490,039 {Spencer AprxS, 1924 1,744,793 ,Price Ian. 28, 1930 1,849,152 Payne Mar. 15, 1932 2,355,017 Stone Aug. 1, 1944 2,412,330 Glanz Dec. 10, 1945 2,552,117 new/e11" May 8, 1951 --FOREIGN PATENTS 

